FullMetal Alchemist
Anime Review
By Le Chupacabra
Studio BONES/Square-Enix
51 Episodes
Age Rating: 10+
FullMetal Alchemist is the shocking, emotional journey of the two Elric brothers who broke forbidden ground when attempting to revive their dead mother through the powers of Alchemy. As a result, Ed loses his arm and his leg, while Al's soul is bound to a suit of armour. Now the brothers begin their search for the Legendary Philosopher's Stone whose power will allow them to set things right…
Now, I know Lancer has already reviewed this but since they’re showing it on Animax, I thought I’d leave my review as a tribute to anime fans all over Bangladesh before I fly off abroad.
I started watching FMA without knowing what I was getting into – no hype, no rants, no recommendation, nothing. And I was suitably blown away…
The true beauty of FMA lies in its character cast. Each individual is utterly compelling and truly gives off an aura of being; they’re such real people. It’s quite easy to connect to them on an emotional level and relate to their thoughts, comments and aspirations. Their interactions are genuine in the way they confide in, spar with and avoid each other in the appropriate situations. In fact, these characters are no different from you or me: they can be selfish; they live for their dreams and stop at nothing to achieve them. All of them are developed beautifully and in the end, you will feel like you were travelling alongside the Elric brothers on their journey of retribution.
The story itself is deep, poignant and dark; it’s a poetic tale of loss, consequence, and life. FMA truly appreciates the melding of the blacks and whites of the world into numerous shades of grey. There are no heroes or villains here – only real people. There are subtle messages in every facet and mesmeric twists that’ll leave you spellbound. FMA gains momentum with every chapter and the last ten episodes will leave you breathless due to the brutal rapidity with which the events unfold; it’s simply brilliance incarnate. Alchemy itself is portrayed in a way that gives it depth and character. And lastly, FMA is a fantastic perspective of life from the eyes of two children.
The dialogue is extremely well-written and there is nary a plot-hole in sight. Everything is explained beautifully within the limits of the world that FMA has created and that only heightens the sense of realism. The comedy is also good stuff that warms the heart. Even the few fight scenes are great because of the way they are presented.
The artwork is a beautiful thing to behold; the use of bright, vibrant imagery contrasts marvellously with the darker scenarios. The animation flows lusciously, making FMA a true visual treat. CGI is used with every subtlety and enhances the scenarios without making one realise it’s being used at all.
The voice acting in FMA is quality stuff, both the English and Japanese versions. The respective voice actors really give life to their characters and the way they play off each other is amusing to watch (or hear). The music is truly memorable. It’s soul stirring and sombre yet light-hearted and flippant when it needs to be. The intro themes (four of them) are fantastically catchy J-pop themes whose exclusion in the English version is a severe oversight on Animax’s part. The outro songs are also great. Truly unforgettable is the way that the second one (‘Tobira no Mukou he’) segues from the ending scene into the song itself. In my opinion, it’s the definitive ending theme!
There are things that people will nitpick about, but I am not they. For the sake of parity, the story can threaten to confuse casual viewers and some comedic moments don’t gel. That’s all, folks.
In the end, I love FMA. It’s definitely my favourite anime and you could accuse me of bias because of that. However, put your scepticism aside and you’ll find an unforgettable, engrossing and emotional viewing experience like no other.
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